


Ornithophobia

by thecattydddy



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Heart Event Spoilers, M/M, Ornithophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23543386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: You have been deathly afraid of birds for as long as you can remember. Ever since moving to Stardew Valley, you've been able to get away with it... Right up until the day Shane decides to introduce you to his beloved hens.
Relationships: Shane ( Stardew Valley) /Male Reader, Shane (Stardew Valley)/Reader, Shane/Male Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 89





	Ornithophobia

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll! So recently a friend of mine made a twitter post about wanting more Shane/Male Farmer fics and I, hoping to cheer him up, decided to take up this particular request! This fic is a little piece between Shane and the Farmer / Reader, based on Shane's eight heart event. Obviously, there will be spoilers for this event, so if you haven't already played through the Shane romance route and don't want to see things pertaining to it, it might be worth avoiding this fic.
> 
> As opposed to previous Reader Insert fics I've done in the past, this one actually _does_ include a placeholder for the Reader's name, that placeholder being _[ Y/N ]_. If you don't already have it, I would recommend getting a text replacer for your browser, such as [InteractiveFics](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/interactivefics/pcpjpdomcbnlkbghmchnjgeejpdlonli?hl=en) for Chrome or [FoxReplace](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/foxreplace/) for Firefox. The reader is intended to be Male, although _could_ in theory be applied to other farmers if you don't mind Shane calling you "man", since there are no real pronouns used for the reader. There isn't really anything describing the farmer in terms of appearance, but they do mention that their farm does _not_ have a chicken coop, for obvious reasons. Sorry if this doesn't fit your particular vision of them. 
> 
> I will also admit upfront that I have _not_ done any kind of extensive playthrough for Shane's route - In fact, I have not tried to romance him at all! I'm what us in the business like to call a _dirty Alex stan_. If Shane seems a little out of character, this is why and you have my apologies for that. That being said, I am hoping my friend still enjoys this fic regardless and, if you're here reading it, that you enjoy it too! Please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think!

It never occurred to you to mention it.

It was one of those things that rarely seemed relevant and all throughout the time you'd spent getting to know Shane, it'd never occurred to you to bring it up. Sure, he lived at Marnie's ranch and sometimes when you went to visit him you'd have to find ways to politely avoid the chickens that would stare you down menacingly from the other side of the fence, but still that had never been an _issue_. Just merely an inconvenience.

But you'd come to find yourself to be rather _fond_ of a certain Joja employee and what was love if not facing your fears for them like that?

The truth is... You're _terrified_ of birds. 

You're not sure how long it has been a problem, but certainly it'd been one you'd brought with you from the city. You had memories - though they barely seemed like the same lifetime to you now - of getting spooked by pigeons that would occasionally fly by your apartment. There was one very distinct occasion where you'd even been trapped in by a pigeon having gotten into the apartment complex somehow and making itself comfortable outside your door. You'd fortunately had a sick day left, because trying to call in to your boss and justifying not coming in because of something like _this_ sounded silly... Especially when they didn't understand the _menace_ that city birds were.

You had not much expected this phobia to come back up in the future. On the occasion that Robin had offered to build you a chicken coup once, you'd ended up having to quietly admit your phobia to her. She'd been good-natured about it, apologizing for accidentally upsetting you and insisting on having you over for dinner to make up for it. You'd suspected that she may have just made the offer in the first place to get you to come over - She and Demetrius had really taken to doting on you, despite already having two kids of their own - but had appreciated her understanding in the first place.

After that, you'd been able to expertly slide past Marnie's offer to sell you chickens by saying you didn't have a coup for them, knowing _full well_ that she'd never try to push a precious animal on you that she wasn't _certain_ you were equipt to care for. The only problem you'd had after that was the occasional wild bird that landed on your front porch, but you no longer had a boss to report to that would get mad if you just stayed in for the day. Plus, you had one _very_ good-natured friend who would send one of her kids to go chase it off if you _really_ needed to go out. It was perhaps not the _most_ effective system, but it worked for you.

At least, it _had_... Right up until the day you decided to go visit Shane and Jas had met you at the door, practically bouncing in place as she excitedly told you that Shane wanted to show you something. You let her take your hand, dragging you through the kitchen and to the barn. Marnie merely spared you a small smile as you went, knowing that there was little she could get in in terms of conversation before Jas had you through the door.

You weren't sure what you'd been expecting when you'd opened the door, but it _certainly_ wasn't to have something blue come racing in your direction. You almost didn't register what it was, right up until you heard it give off that horrifying _squawk_.

Jas was oblivious to the sudden terror that had frozen you in place, releasing her hold on you to go and greet the excited chicken. She was down on the ground in a second, her skirt pooling out around her as she wrapped the creature up in her arms, giggling at the way it nipped at her hair. You'd been so focused on the blue _abomination_ that you hadn't noticed Shane standing there as well, holding a normally colored, but _equally_ as terrifying hen in one arm.

He set the hen down before finally turning to address you. "Hey, [ Y/N ]. So... What do you think?"

The other stood there expectantly, but you could only stare wide-eyed, not sure how to deal with this situation without outright admitting your embarrassing fear. He looked confused for a moment by your expression before settling instead into amusement. He gestured you over. With a deep breath, you braved the few steps it took to reach him, trying not to react too violently having to pass by one of the little beasts.

"It's okay," he assured, clearly thinking it was just their unusual coloring that set you off. "They're my special blue hens. I've been raising them in secret for the last few months." He knelt down as one of the hens came up to greet him, nuzzling against his hand and bringing a slight smile to his face.

He looked... Surprisingly _soft_ like this. Certainly, you'd known for some time now that there was more to Shane than the gruff, rude exterior he showed to most people, but it was still always a wonder when you go to see it. He didn't look at many people like that, but you caught it sometimes when he looked at Jas as she babbled away on her latest adventures with Vincent and Penny. When his aunt would praise him for being such a _hard working boy_ , patting his cheek affectionately before he headed off to work.

Sometimes you'd get to even see it directed at _you_ ; Like when you wandered all the way to visit him at work, bringing him lunch on the days that he'd accidentally forgot to pack something of his own. Or when you'd saddle up beside him at the bar, trying to sneak a sip of his beer when he wasn't looking and end up coughing in the aftermath because it tasted only _marginally_ better than dirty dishwater. 

It was a cute scene and it made your heart flutter a little... So it was really a shame when something loudly squawking at your heel cut it _abruptly_ short.

A shriek finally spilled out of you, the anxieties you were harboring coming to a head. Everyone else in the room jumped at the sound, several of the hens giving distressed chirps back. Shane quickly tried to hush the ones closest to him, his brow furrowed in annoyance and confusion. "Hey! What's the idea, scaring my-"

"I-I'm sorry!" you croaked out, quickly backing away from the blue chicken trying to nip at your shoes. Unfortunately, there was not much room left in which to go and you had accidentally backed yourself up against the feeding bench. "I-I'm sorry! She just... Shane, _please_ get the chicken!" You were practically frantic by the time you bothered with the request, distress coming through in your voice enough that he didn't argue. He quickly came to bring a hand up to block the small creature, gently guiding her away and off to a new target. The hen huffed in indignation, but was already on her way to bother Jas, instead. Shane came to stand beside you, placing a hand on your arm to help ground you.

"Hey, hey," he said, softly. "Earth to [ Y/N ]? You're okay... Dakota isn't gonna bother you anymore."

"Th-thanks," you mumbled. Your legs felt wobbly when you went to move, causing you to stumble. He held out his arm to help stabilize you, your fingers digging into the blue fabric of his Joja jacket with a vice-like hold. "Sorry, sorry, I---"

"It's fine. Calm down," he instructed, firmly. "Take some deep breaths, will ya?" He demonstrated the action and you mirrored it, desperately pulling air into your lungs. " _Slower_ , man. It's not a competition."

It took a moment for you to get your breathing under _some_ kind of control. Thankfully, Jas had read the situation enough to jump in and redirect the hens away from you during this. Once you were feeling a little more under control, you let out a sigh, exhaustion filling up your bones.

"Sorry," you mumbled, again.

"It's fine," Shane insisted, slowly taking his arm back now that you no longer needed him to keep you upright. You almost wanted to ask to hold it a little longer, but your guilt at scaring him and his poor chickens kept your mouth closed. "What the hell was that about, though? You scared of chickens or something?"

"... Or something," you mumbled back, your eyes cast away and your face turning slightly red in embarrassment. 

"The fuck?" he muttered, clearly only more confused. "How long has that been a thing?"

"..." You didn't know how to respond to the question, unable to meet his eye. Purposefully trying to avoid looking at the chickens, however, left you only really able to stare at the strings of his jacket, one of them hanging lower than the other. "... Long enough... It's not just chickens, though! I'm... I don't like birds at all, really."

"Yoba, [ Y/N ]," he huffed, running his hand through his hair and glancing back over at the hens. While he was looking elsewhere you risked a look up at his face, trying to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem _angry_ , just... Irritated. Like normal Shane, if you were being frank. Maybe a little flustered, but nothing you couldn't handle. "I've known you this whole time and not _once_ you thought to tell a guy you are afraid of birds?"

"You didn't tell me you were secretly raising blue chickens," you offered back, getting a _tch_ in return. You cracked a slight smile at his irritated response, able to catch a hint of fondness in his eyes despite it. You peered past him to the hens in question, your brow furrowing.

He followed your gaze, catching the slightly sheepish guilt you had fall over you. Even if you couldn't really _help_ your phobia, you still could at least recognize how important the birds were to Shane and wished you could somehow bridge the gap between the two of you. As if reading your thoughts, the other was already attempting to usher you out of the barn.

"It's okay," he insists, sticking his hands in his hoodie pockets as soon as you actually started heading towards the exit. "You don't have to start getting crazy ideas in your head... We can talk about my hens without you doing something stupid."

You spared him a grateful smile, turning back to look at him as soon as you'd cleared the barn door and stepped into the kitchen proper. Marnie greeted you both sweetly before giving you a wink and scurrying out of the room, her chittering laughter following after her. You took a seat at the table, Shane taking the spot opposite you, and for a moment there was silence as you both tried to figure out how to continue the conversation. 

"So... You raised the hens yourself, huh?"

Shane looked relieved that you bit the bullet, his expression softening as he jumped in to finally say his piece about his beloved birds. "Yeah. I... Well, I won't be living here forever..."

**Author's Note:**

> Let it be known that I _did_ try and look into a way to make it so you could edit the reader name directly in AO3, but unfortunately this website only supports really basic HTML and CSS, so I was unable to implement the textbox/editable variable needed for this to work. If I can find a solution to this in the future I will update the skin on this fic accordingly.


End file.
